Silence. It was all that flooded the surroundings of that world. This place was a paradise for the eyes, wrapped in abundant vegetation with different shades of green and other vibrant colors that made this site beautiful. Although there were no oceans, large lakes and rivers meandered everywhere, giving it a more lively tone.
However, despite all the beauty, it lacked something that would give it the life it needed. Something that made it seem like a desolate and sad place. This place was marked by great solitude.
Only the sound of the wind among the trees and the waves of the lakes and rivers crashing against the shores were audible, accentuating the emptiness that reigned. Such was this planet. But…
— "Are you sure there's something there?! I say this because I've passed through this place before and couldn't see anything!" —the loud shout of a person interrupted the impassive calm of the place.
Four figures soared through the sky above the treetops, moving at great speed toward the northwest.
— "Yes! In fact, I can see the facility right now!" —one of them replied, looking ahead, many kilometers away.
"Superman," who was guiding the others, turned his torso without slowing down to look at his companions. "Goku" was flying behind him, keeping pace, and on either side of him, within what appeared to be a green sphere, stood "Reed" and "Rías," each standing inside the sphere.
Superman looked ahead again and continued:
— "It may be that, like us, that place also appeared out of nowhere, narrating its reality just like we did. Although it seems it didn't bring anyone with it."
— "That's very possible, Kal. There are many mysteries to solve," —Reed affirmed, intrigued by the situation.
After Superman introduced himself as Kal-El, the four discussed and agreed to seek answers about why they had arrived there and how to return to their respective worlds.
After exchanging some knowledge about their worlds of origin, they all agreed that they came from different realities. Clark informed them that he had seen a facility a few kilometers from where they were while observing from the atmosphere, looking for signs of life. They decided to head there immediately.
Reed mentioned that mobility would be an issue, but Goku had the idea to carry both of them with one of his powers while flying.
After a few minutes of flight, the place became visible to them. They descended in front of a large building that appeared to be a fortified military facility and quite expansive.
Dr. Richards observed it meticulously.
— "Do you detect anything unusual, or is it completely abandoned?" —Reed asked, looking at Goku and Clark with intrigue.
In the short time they had known each other, Dr. Richards had noticed that they all had different abilities and powers. He was intrigued by what more they could do.
— "I don't detect any presence inside… It may indeed be abandoned," —Goku replied without hesitation.
He felt no signs of life inside, but still decided to be cautious. His detection was not infallible; he had faced beings that could hide their presence.
Superman didn't respond immediately, as he was using his X-ray vision to inspect the structure from the inside. He had a great ability to see through objects, although there were certain exceptions.
— "Yes, what Goku says is true. I can't see anything or anyone inside either," —Clark confirmed, crossing his arms.
Goku looked at Clark with curiosity; he found that ability to see through things incredible.
— "So what do we do now? Do we just go in?" —Goku asked with his usual carefree attitude, putting both arms behind his head.
— "Yes, but before that, I want to know something, Kal," —Reed said, turning to Superman—. "Were you able to see if there was any defense system inside?"
He asked with curiosity, wanting to know if the base was protected by automatic weapons or something similar.
Superman looked inside again and replied:
— "In fact, yes. But most of it is concentrated in what appear to be the research center and the control center."
— "What luck. Because that's exactly where we need to go," —Reed said, with a touch of sarcasm.
The four moved toward the main door of the place, where they encountered a large fortified metal door, half a meter thick, very well anchored to the walls.
Beside it, there was a control panel. Reed examined it and concluded that he couldn't open it. He didn't have the necessary tools to access the system.
Both Superman and Goku mentioned that they could break it down using force, something Reed had already suspected of them. So he asked if they had any ability or power that could open it without causing too much damage. He didn't want to damage what could become a temporary base.
— "Without causing damage?" —Goku said, putting a hand on his chin while imagining using one of his techniques to open it without major harm.
Clark was about to step forward to use his heat vision to melt through the door. He had the power to emit a beam of heat through his eyes, capable of exceeding 1000 °C.
He stopped when Goku spoke again.
— "Now that I remember… Rías, you used a kind of destructive power before, right? You could destroy the door without causing damage, right?"
Goku directed that question to the girl accompanying them, who had remained silent behind them. Reed and Clark also turned their gaze toward the red-haired girl.
She opened her eyes a bit in doubt.
— "Uh… yes. I possess that power, but…" —Rías felt intimidated being watched. She wanted to keep a low profile in this situation.
— "That's great! Then you can surely do it, right?!" —Goku exclaimed encouragingly, with a smile that expressed confidence.
The red-haired girl had an expression of insecurity on her face, still processing the situation she found herself in. Less than an hour ago, she was at her school preparing for a "rating game" that would decide her future, and now she was in this deserted place, surrounded by extraordinary people.
Rías looked at the other two, who nodded in approval for her to try. They wanted to see what she was capable of.
Looking at them again, she took the confidence she needed.
— "Alright, I'll try," —she said, speaking with determination.
Rías stood in front of the large door, raised her hands, and in a second, a red aura enveloped her body. She extended her palm, and a circle with strange red and black engravings appeared, and in the middle of the circle, a sphere of the same color began to form.
Goku squinted a bit at feeling that energy; it was very similar to something he already knew. But he also felt something in Rías's aura that was a bit unpleasant.
Reed and Clark watched the scene with serious expressions, recognizing that this was magic. However, the sight and feeling they experienced were something they had encountered in the past when facing certain enemies.
After Rías charged her attack, she directed it toward the door. At the moment the red and black energy touched it, a large hole formed in the door. She moved her hands a bit, and the energy shifted as well.
Rías had created a large hole of 2x1 meters in the door, through which they could pass without problems.
— "Well done, Rías!" —Goku cheered animatedly, setting aside his previous insecurity.
---
Inside the Base
After entering, the four began to explore the hallways in search of the control center. Goku observed the surroundings with curiosity, just like the red-haired girl, who, despite her interest, knew how to disguise it skillfully.
The signs that there had been people in this place were evident; the absence of personnel seemed recent, as if they had disappeared without a trace.
— "What exactly are we looking for here?" —Goku asked, intrigued by the mission that had brought them to this place.
Reed, who was meticulously examining the facility, replied honestly:
— "It's very simple. We're looking for information about this place. In the control center, we might find answers. And, if we're lucky, we might discover technology advanced enough to investigate how to return to our respective worlds."
— "That's what we're looking for, right?" —Goku said, crossing his arms behind his head—. "You mentioned you were some kind of scientist; do you think you'll be able to figure out how to get back?"
— "Yes, but I need the right resources to find out. That's why we're here," —Reed replied, stopping for a moment to look around.
— "Is this the place?" —he asked, turning to Clark, who was guiding them through the hallways.
— "Yes, but if we go beyond this point, we'll activate the defense system sensors," —Superman warned, his deep voice resonating in the air.
Everyone looked attentively at the hallway ahead of them. It widened into a large intersection, where an imposing closed door led to the control room.
— "What types of weapons can you see?" —Reed asked, with evident concern on his face.
Clark paused for a moment, concentrating as he used his vision to look through the walls. Behind the walls, he glimpsed mechanisms attached to firearms of considerable size.
— "They're firearms, without a doubt. But they don't resemble any model I remember. From what I can see, they are high caliber," —he responded, frowning.
— "How many bursts of fire do you think they could unleash before ceasing?" —Reed insisted, his unease increasing.
— "I estimate there are enough for sustained fire for half an hour. It would be a total disaster if we don't manage to deactivate them," —Clark said, with a tone of annoyance. Although his speed allowed him to stop bullets with his hands, that would take time.
Clark's estimate made it clear to Reed that the situation was more complicated than they had anticipated. He decided it was time to use his ingenuity to minimize risks and find a solution.
— "Stay here; I'll take care of this myself…" —Reed said, moving forward confidently, as if there were no danger.
— "I—"
Clark was going to protest, but he was left speechless.
The moment Reed took a step forward, the motion sensor activated the defense system. A loud "Bang" echoed throughout the place before anyone could react.
Clark's eyes widened in shock; he was distracted for just an instant and couldn't react in time. The bullet was fired at incredible speed and, before everyone could process it, it impacted Dr. Richards's body.
Rías's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as she saw the bullet being absorbed by Mr. Fantastic's elastic body, right in front of her face.
Goku blinked repeatedly, mouth agape, astonished by the scene. Meanwhile, Clark quickly understood the nature of Reed's powers and felt a momentary relief.
— "Wow, that's quite a powerful weapon," —Reed said, trying to make a joke about the situation, although his tone was more nervous than funny.
Mr. Fantastic's body quickly returned to its normal form when Reed expelled the bullet from within him. However, thanks to his elastic properties, the bullet shot out like a projectile and began to bounce around the place.
The bullet bounced from side to side, creating a kind of chaotic dance until…
— "Ouch! Ouchouchouch! That hurt a lot!! Ouch!" —Goku shouted, holding his head after the bullet hit him, completely unprepared.
The others looked at him with incredulous expressions, while Goku rubbed the spot of impact, a mix of surprise and pain on his face.
— "Who would have thought a bullet could be so… playful?!" —Goku exclaimed, trying to laugh despite the discomfort.
Clark couldn't help but chuckle, and Rías joined in, while Reed just rubbed his forehead, resigned to the madness of the situation.
— "Well, it seems the defense system has a peculiar sense of humor," —Reed said, trying to regain his composure.
The tension eased a bit, although everyone knew they still had to act carefully.
---
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."
The thunder of multiple gunshots echoed throughout the place.
Goku and Superman were in the midst of the chaotic skirmish caused by the defense system, which was firing bursts of deadly bullets incessantly. Goku moved at great speed, stopping the bullets with his hands, while Clark did the same, both working in perfect sync.
With this tactic, they had managed to take control of the room, but they knew their mission didn't end there. They needed to head to the research center, which was separate from the control room. However, advancing proved difficult; the bullets flew at high speed, and Goku felt uncomfortable in the clothes he was wearing. In moments like this, he longed for his martial arts gi, which allowed him to move with greater agility.
At a distance, Rías and Reed watched the spectacle in amazement.
— "Can I ask you something, Dr. Richards?" —Rías said, addressing him with a serious tone.
— "Ah… yes, of course. What would you like to know?" —Reed replied, nodding while trying to maintain his composure.
— "How long do you think it will take to find a way back to our worlds?" —Rías asked, her voice filled with concern.
Reed, hearing her question, looked ahead, searching for the right words so as not to unsettle the girl.
— "I'll be honest, miss. It could take days, perhaps months, and in the worst-case scenario, it could take years…" —Reed said, observing how Rías's expression became more dejected as he spoke.
— "But one thing is certain: we will find the answer to this predicament. Don't get discouraged," —he added, trying to offer her a glimmer of hope.
At that moment, a shout resonated in the air.
— "Hey, we're done!! You can come in!" —Goku exclaimed, raising a hand enthusiastically.
Rías and Reed turned toward him, seeing how Goku and Clark were signaling for them to move. The tension in the atmosphere dissipated a bit, and the determination to continue the mission became palpable among the group.
After accessing the research center, both Reed and Clark got to work, trying to access the base's operating system.
Initially, it was complicated due to the difference in code compared to their native language. But for the smartest man on the planet, and with the help of Clark, who had a high learning ability and quickly understood different languages, they found a way.
They were trying to access the database and the records of the place, and they were also looking for a way to control the reconnaissance drones present in the base.
Rías, for her part, was sitting in front of a chessboard she had found while exploring the place. There was no longer any danger of the defense systems activating, as Reed had managed to get the system to recognize them as part of the staff.
Her gaze slowly moved between the chess pieces, each representing a strategy, a battle.
"I wish they were here," she thought, remembering her servants and friends. The mere idea that she might never return to her world and that she wouldn't see her loved ones again plunged her into deep sadness.
Meanwhile, Goku found himself in the kitchen of the place. Upon discovering that there was food, his face lit up with a smile; he hadn't eaten since he arrived in this world, and his stomach was growling insistently.
— "I wonder if Milk has realized I'm missing," —he murmured to himself while eating.
The thought that his wife and friends might have already discovered his absence crossed his mind. And if that was the case, maybe he could find a way to locate them with the Dragon Balls, although he believed that was impossible, as Shenron didn't have the necessary power to do so.
His eyes widened slightly.
— "Mmm… What is that?" —Goku asked to no one in particular.
He stopped eating when he felt a series of presences nearby. Quickly, he used his detection to map the entire planet and was surprised to discover that something had arrived.
Goku brought a hand to his forehead, and in the next second, he vanished when the sharp sound of "shuiin" filled the kitchen.
In an instant, he appeared near a lake surrounded by dense vegetation.
— "So you were the presence I felt, huh," —Goku said, squinting his eyes.
In front of him was an animal, rather, something that looked like a large snake with modern-colored and gray scales.
The creature was 30-35 meters long and about a meter thick. It was tangled among the large trees in the area in front of the lake.
— "Hehe. Wow, you're a really big snake. I guess you were brought here just like me," —Goku commented, observing the animal.
The snake fixed its gaze on Goku, evaluating him in surprise. The snake lunged at Goku, who quickly reacted when the large serpent tried to attack him, delivering a powerful kick to its head.
— "You'd better go to sleep!... Although it's still daytime, I guess," —Goku said after incapacitating the animal.
Goku brought his hand to his forehead again and used his technique once more. He aimed to go where all those presences that had arrived on the planet were, to see if anyone else had come.
Many of the presences he sensed were very similar, so he decided to check out just one from each group. He encountered a series of different animals of various species, sizes, and shapes. Many attacked him when they saw him, so he incapacitated them without causing much harm.
After a while, Goku concluded that many animals, like him and the others, had been transported to that place for no apparent reason.
— "Darn… it would have been nice to find someone else, but..." —he exclaimed in desperation— "I'd better go back and tell the others about what I discovered."
He murmured, wearing a serious expression. Setting that aside, he prepared to return to the others.
However, Goku stopped when he felt a very particular ki, one that felt familiar, similar to that of a god. Intrigued, he looked in the direction from which that energy emanated and decided to investigate.
Without wasting any time, he teleported to the source of that presence, eager to clear his doubts. Upon arrival, he found a woman with her back turned, observing the surroundings with clear confusion.
The girl seemed to sense Goku's presence and, with a nervous movement, turned to look at him.
— "E-excuse me. Could you tell me where I am?" —she asked in a timid voice, her eyes reflecting surprise.
Goku observed her for a moment before responding. The woman in front of him had long gray-green hair, with bangs covering her right eye. She wore an off-shoulder shirt of a soft purple tone, complemented by a pink scarf tied around her neck and a white skirt that fitted her figure with a brown belt. Her shoes matched the color of her skirt, and an earring sparkled in her left ear.
She was slender, measuring approximately between 1.60 and 1.65 meters, and seemed quite young. Her gaze, kind yet insecure, gave her an air of vulnerability. Goku found her truly beautiful.
— "Yes, I can tell you where you are, but it will be difficult to explain what this place is," —Goku said, adopting a serious demeanor.
It was rare to see him like this; he only usually acted this way when he felt annoyed or faced a ruthless enemy.
— "But first, let me introduce myself. I am Goku, Son Goku… what's your name?"
The girl hesitated a bit, but finally replied:
— "My name is Elizabeth. It's a pleasure," —she introduced herself, bowing her head slightly.
Goku looked at her a bit longer. He felt a power in her very different from anything he had felt before. At the same time, he sensed that Elizabeth emanated the presence of a god deep within her.
A thought crossed Goku's mind.
"What kind of powerful beings will arrive in this place?" he thought, revealing a challenging smile.
Somehow, that idea excited him. The possibility of facing individuals with unknown abilities and strengths intrigued him.
He couldn't help but smile challengingly at that prospect.
To be continued.